


Infirmitatem

by VolunteerFieryDantooinian



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Drowning Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Poison, Pre-Slash, Sickfic, Tagged as Molly/Fjord if you want to interpret it that way, there might be more chapters of this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-13 21:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13579629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VolunteerFieryDantooinian/pseuds/VolunteerFieryDantooinian
Summary: After the fight, Mollymauk is ok....right?





	Infirmitatem

He was glad when it was over. All of them were. Fjord was better off than he was thanks to Jester's healing magic, but she's too darned exhausted to fix any of them up any more. Beau's healing kit certainly helps to fix up Caleb, and Jester tries her hardest to fix him up as well, but there's only so much she could do for the painful slashes across his side. Molly was still in a lot of pain, but he wasn't just going to say that- she knew already, and he'd feel bad if she felt guilty.

Everyone was quiet on the way back, even Jester, and Mollymauk fell into a trance as he gazed at the horizon. The slight rock of the vessel was making him feel nauseous, unless, of course, that was just the poison coursing through his system. Fjord had been near death, though, he reminded himself, if he hadn't actually been dead very briefly. He had needed it significantly more, and Nott had been able to revive Caleb unexpectedly well. He was still unstable on his feet, but he was definitely out of the woods.

Molly would have to rest, certainly, but there was a high chance he'd also be alright fairly quick. He was very off balance, clutching to the rail just so he could keep on his feet. The night air was chilly, and he drew his cloak closer around him. Toya was still out cold- he'd honestly prefer it that way, because he didn't want her to see him like this. She was just a kid, ya know?

"You alright?" Fjord's drawl was more pronounced after the silence of the evening, "You're awful quiet," He trailed off, eyeing Mollymauk cautiously. Did he think he would turn into a zombie or something?

"Feeling a little seasick, but otherwise I'm just fine." Molly admitted, not seeing much point in lying entirely; if he threw up, he didn't want anyone to flip their shit. Really, he didn't want there to be any cause for alarm, not after what they'd just been through. Fjord edged closer.

"Keep lookin' at the horizon, and if you feel much worse, lyin' down usually works just as well as anything." He suggested, and Mollymauk nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon. His sense of balance had practically vanished, and he wasn't feeling too good at the moment. Fuck balance; all he really cared about at this point was not being sick in front of Fjord. That would be hopelessly embarrassing. Mollymauk clutched the railing tighter, the smell of the ocean not doing his stomach any favors.

He slowly attempted to edge his way to a bench so he could lie down and hopefully find a little bit of rest, but his shaky legs wouldn't allow for that. Molly ended up dizzily hitting the deck, legs giving way beneath him, and he winced as pain shot through his side. His stomach lurched and he could barely think straight. The rough wood scraped his knees. 

Fjord frowned and gently grabbed his arm, helping him over to the bench so he could sit. "Easy, there." His voice was gentle, like he was trying not to spook a horse, and his hand stayed at Mollymauk's shoulder, steadying him so he didn't fall over. "Jester," he called, "I think somethin's up with Molly."

"I swear, I'm fine, really-" Mollymauk protested to no avail, and soon enough Jester was dashing over, the little blue tiefling frowning in concern.

"Molly, are you okay?" Her accent was strange and lilting, even more so to his confused, off balance current self.

"I told you, it's just a little seasickness. Once we get back to dry land, I'll be right as rain. Promise." Even he wasn't so certain now. He seemed to feel dizzier by the minute. Jester frowned, but nodded.

"Alright, if you say so, stupid, but I'm gonna be off worrying about you just in case!" She exclaimed, taking a seat on the deck not too far from where he was sitting with Fjord. Her watchful eyes missed nothing. The aforementioned half-Orc was looking at him with a strange expression that was a little like worry, and normally he'd be embarrassed, but he felt too unwell to be embarrassed at the moment.

They sat like that for a while in the quiet of the lake. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him and he leaned against Fjord for balance, trying not to lose his purchase on reality. The next thing he knew, he was pressing the back of his warm hand against Mollymauk's forehead, and he pursed his lips. "You're burnin' up," Fjord's voice was soft and very concerned. "Jester, c'mere."

Molly hadn't realized how awful he felt until then. The night air was bitingly cold against his already-chilled skin. Jester was up in a flash, and he tried to pull back, but she managed to press her hand to his forehead just the same. She gasped.

"Molly, why didn't you tell me you had a fever? What if you turn into a zombie or something?" Her voice is slightly panicked, and he chuckles, tries to reach out and pat her shoulder in comfort, but misses.

"In all honesty, I had no idea," he admitted, and tried again. This time he overshot and nearly fell flat on his face onto the deck, but before he could hit the ground, he was nestled safely in Fjord's arms. He felt like he was going to pass out. Or throw up. Or maybe both. Oh, oh gods, he was so dizzy. He hadn't realized he was shivering until now, achy with the cold and how violently he was shaking. His vision was tilting and blurred, and he curled closer to Fjord's chest, radiantly warm compared to how frozen Molly felt.

"Caleb!" He heard Jester call, and there was the frenzied sound of footsteps and by the weird smell of ash in the air, Caleb had come quickly. The world was a little blurry and he wanted to close his eyes, but his eyes found Caleb first. The blurry ginger looked worried, and the green blob next to him was probably Nott, always following him around. 

"There's somethin' really wrong with him, Caleb." Molly could feel Fjord talking through his chest and he tried to sit up, but failed. A different hand met his forehead, an unfamiliar one, and Mollymauk recoiled at how cold it was. Caleb muttered an unfamiliar swear. Molly swore back in Infernal.

That was the point at which Molly just couldn't take it anymore, a wave of sudden, horrible pain radiating through his side and his stomach lurching, and everything felt freezing cold.

 

He blacked out.

 

-

 

 

Molly barely knew where he was. He caught brief flashes of sound, occasional words would slip through, but it all seemed jumbled and nonsensical to him. His whole body was practically seizing he was shivering so hard, and someone-something, whatever- had something cold and clammy pressed against his forehead, something freezing, and he let out a wordless whine. There was something oddly rough and warm pressed against his cheek for a moment, then it was gone. 

Mollymauk was gone soon after, slipping back into the darkness as fluidly and easily as drowning was.

 

-

 

Molly woke up soon after yet again, feeling the same, if not slightly more corporeal. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy, his body was too heavy, like something was tying him to the ground. He groaned, the sound half catching in his throat and devolving into a fit of shivering. Someone gently rested their hand on his arm and helped him sit up a little bit. Their hands were really warm, vaguely rough, and they gently brushed sweat-soaked hair off of his forehead. He was wrapped in a slightly rough blanket, and multiple pillows were propping him up.

"Molly, I'm gonna need 'ya to drink this, alright? It won't taste too great, but we have to get you better," Fjord's voice was soft and syrup-sweet with worry, and a warm mug of something was pressed into his hands. He could barely hold it he was trembling so badly, and Fjord carefully guided the mug to his lips, helping him sip the warm liquid. It tasted like normal tea at first, but it held the bitter burn of a healing potion as he swallowed it. Fjord stroked his hair gently.

Molly's fumbling fingers slipped. Fjord managed to catch the mug, making sure he finished the chalky, slightly sweet drink. He managed to get it down without choking to death or passing out, so he considered that a success. Not that he could really consider much. He was trembling, and Fjord's yellow eyes were soft and worried as he took something off of the table, and pressed it lightly to his forehead. Mollymauk winced as the sharp, bitter cold leached into his skin, a drop of water rolling down the bridge of his nose. "I know it's not pleasant, but you've gotta cool down." Fjord, in an effort to comfort him, gently stroked his hair. Everyone always made seamen jokes about him, but gods, he had the nicest hands. 

That felt.. Nice, Molly managed to think in his half-delirium. Fjord helped him to lie all the way back down, his world spinning a bit too much for him to do it himself, and tucked the blankets closer around him. "Do you want me to stay?" Fjord looked down at him with gentle eyes. Mollymauk nodded with vigor, nearly making himself dizzy. "Alright, I guess I'll just talk," He decided. "Well, this one time back in Port Damali, right after I'd met Jester..." Fjord kept going, kept talking, but Molly was barely listening to what he was saying, just listening to his voice. 

It was soft, resonant- not to mention the characteristic depth and roll of his accent, much like the ocean itself. His accent was warm and sounded like honey, he supposed, and maybe all of this was a bit odd, but if anything, he could blame it on the fever. It was the fever. Right? Molly didn't care much at this point, whatever it was, and he found himself being lulled to sleep by the tones of Fjord's voice, pulling him out to sea. 

 

-

 

Mollymauk dreamed. Dreamt. Either way, he did it. In this dream he dreamed or dreamt, he was in the water. In water somewhere, the ocean by the looks of it. He was floating on his back, staring up at the blue sky, and as he laid on the ocean, felt the waves sway back and forth and back and forth, he heard someone calling his name. It sounded like-it sounded like Yasha, then it sounded like Jester, then Caleb, then Fjord. All of the group at once after that. Then another voice, like Fjord's, but more upper-class, and with a different sort of accent. The trim accent of the Empire, not the rolling twang of the Menagerie Coast. He tried to flip over, to sit up, anything, but he couldn't move.

Suddenly, something slimy, thick, and cold coiled its way around his midsection, and before he could react, it pulled him down. He choked, not having enough time to hold his breath when he went under. The cold gush of water flooded his mouth and nose, making him cough and sputter, chest spasming as he tried to fight it. The characteristic burn of saltwater being inhaled flooded through his chest, and the thick, cold thing gripped tighter around him, pulling him farther down. The current tossed him this way and that. He couldn't breathe.

It wasn't exactly unfamiliar, but oh god, he didn't want it to be real. His chest spasmed again and he writhed in the grasp of the dark tentacles. He clawed out at them, screamed, slimy and itchy and freezing-

Mollymauk awoke with a panicked Fjord holding him in his arms; or rather, he'd wrapped his arms around him in what seemed like an attempt to restrain him. He realized his nails were digging into Fjord's arms, and released him. 

"Molly! Calm down, calm down, it's okay, you're alright," Fjord exclaimed, voice hoarse from sleep. "You've gotta breathe. You've gotta breathe," He exhaled hard as Molly relaxed in his grip, exhausted from the struggle, and he took in a deep breath. He couldn't stop shaking, feeling nauseous and incorporeal. Fjord stroked his hair, and Molly started to tremble even harder, not quite able to cry. He pressed closer to Fjord's warmth; even though he knew he was much hotter than him, he just felt freezing. "You're still too hot."

The half-Orc smelled like the ocean; not dead fish, but ocean salt. Like Port Damali. That was enough to make him feel dizzy. Fjord seemed to catch onto this, gently releasing him and settling him back into bed. "You were havin' a nightmare, you wouldn't wake up, Jester tried to heal you but nothing was working," He explained, slightly calmer now that Molly had stopped trying to kill him. "You got real sick about 3 hours ago, and you're doing a little better now, but you gave us a big scare," Fjord's voice was gentle, but tight with worry. "How are you feelin'?"

"Not the best, admittedly," Mollymauk rasped, voice hoarse from disuse and shaking from shot nerves and fever. His accent was stronger than he was used to. Fjord continued to stroke his hair. Even with his fright, he was still exhausted. He didn't want to fall back asleep, but it seemed nearly inevitable. 

"Molly, darlin', you need to get some sleep. Do you want me to stay with you? I'd feel awful if you had a nightmare again." Fjord offered, and Mollymauk nodded, barely strong enough to keep his head up as he did so. He grabbed Fjord's hand and laid it against his forehead, the rough warmth of it comforting. He kept his hand on top of his for a moment. "Your fever's up again," He fretted, and Molly grabbed his hand again and kept holding it. At this point, he didn't give too many fucks about the fever or anything. All he cared about was sleep.

"Please stay." He mumbled, and Fjord nodded, stroking one of his horns with just one thumb. 

"Don't you worry, Molly. I'm not going anywhere."

 

 

-

 


End file.
